Snakes in Fort Knox, Kentucky

The Fort Knox site in northern Kentucky covers 109,000 acres and spans part of three different counties. The area in and around Fort Knox is the confirmed home of seven of the 16 native Kentucky snake species. Of these seven species, two are venomous and potentially deadly.

  1. Copperhead

    • The copperhead is a venomous pit viper species which is confirmed as being present in the Fort Knox area. The snake grows to between 22 and 53 inches in length. It has a reddish-brown body with mottled markings and a copper-colored head.

    Black Racer

    • The black racer is common throughout Kentucky and is confirmed as living in the Fort Knox area. It grows to between 33 and 77 inches in length. The snake is almost completely black except for a small white patch under the chin.

    Timber Rattlesnake

    • The timber rattlesnake is the area's other venomous pit viper and is confirmed in the northwest of the Fort Knox range. It is a stout-bodied snake that grows to between 35 and 75 inches in length. It is a yellowish to light brown snake with large dark blotches running the length of its body.

    Milk Snake

    • The milk snake is found throughout the state and is confirmed as present in the Fort Knox area. It grows to between 14 and 20 inches in length. The snake has large blocks of reddish-brown color broken by slimmer white sections with thin black lines.

    Rat Snake

    • The rat snake is common throughout Kentucky and the Fort Knox area. It is a large snake that grows to between 42 and 72 inches in length. Two subspecies of rat snake are found in the region: the black subspecies, which is entirely black in color, and the gray, which has gray coloring with large black markings.

    Red-Bellied Water Snake

    • The red-bellied water snake is confirmed as living in the southeast region of Fort Knox. It is a long, slender snake that grows to between 30 and 62 inches in length. It is dark gray to green in color with a red to yellowish underbelly.

    Ring-Neck Snake

    • The ring-neck snake is common in Kentucky and is known to live in the Fort Knox area. It is a slender snake that grows to between 10 and 30 inches in length. It is dark brown to black in color with a yellowish-red belly and ring around its neck.